Black Hammer '45 #1

During the Golden Age of superheroes, an elite Air Force crew called the Black Hammer Squadron was formed to fight the Axis powers. With occult threats from the German side, this team must save a family of scientists from the Nazi's, but the mysterious and dangerous Ghost Hunter is hot on their trail. From the World of Black Hammer comes a truly gripping tale of war and intrigue!

At this point, it's safe to say anything falling under the 'Black Hammer' banner is going to be worth your time and money. This growing universe and this book is a total must for any fan who loves comics. Do not miss this book. Read Full Review

Overall, I thought that this was an impactful and moving introduction to this new series. I'm loving the pacing and use of dual storytelling. I'm keen to delve back into this story when the next issue comes out. Read Full Review

The result is an inaugural chapter that will assuredly add more complexity to the overlapping, interconnected Hammerverse before the series is finished. It sets up the conflict and its long-term effect, then banks into a steep dive to strafe us with the pending sorrows as pride and anger overcome reason to reject wise counsel. All before the primary battle's even begun. Finally, we're left with our heroes facing a challenge sufficient to give an Odinson pause and leaves us clamoring for the next installment. It's may not be real aerial combat, but it's a top-notch feat of comic book derring-do. Read Full Review

Fans of the main Black Hammer series will be thrilled the book is branching off into new and interesting territory. Jeff Lemire has said he loves his Black Hammer books because they allow him to do pretty much any kind of comic he wants. This book is proof positive of that. Read Full Review

Fawkes and Kindt prove to handle this series with the love and care Lemire deserves while still leaving their own mark on the title. Although World War II pastiche is new grounds for Black Hammer, it fits perfectly with the overall pre-established universe. With a jaw-dropping ending to show that this is more than just another war comic, this is series begins to be something truly magical. Read Full Review

Black Hammer '45: From the World of Black Hammer #1 offers readers a multilayered story that's wonderfully rendered and provides great food-for-thought; a must-read for Black Hammer fans. Read Full Review

The opening installment of Black Hammer '45 has some intriguing moments to it as I like the idea of exploring soldiers, even elite soldiers, in how the war would be different with the powered characters flitting about. Fawkes and Lemire have some solid ideas here and Fawkes' script keeps things moving in past and present as it begins to explore events leading up to a fateful mission. Matt Kindt is a bit of an acquired taste when it comes to his artwork and I do enjoy it for the most part, including here, but it felt like combined with the script and the lettering style that it took a bit to really connect with who is who and who it is we really need to pay attention to. I'm definitely looking forward to more of what's to come as this offers up a lot of tantalizing material. Read Full Review

Its unsurprising that a creative team like this knocks their first issue out of the park. A brilliant tribute to the era, draped with all the tropes, larger-than-life action and strong characters that go hand-in-hand with this period of comics. This first issue is really only the start of something much bigger, with the real battle starting next month, but this introduction is as raw and personal, explosive and action-packed, and satisfying as youd expect with a lineup of creatives like this. If youre a fan of Black Hammer, its essential you pick this up. If youre a fan of this era of comics, its essential you pick this up. If youre a fan of good stories and great action, its essential you pick this up. Read Full Review

On art are Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt and they do a marvelous job throughout the issue. Matt Kindt is an artist that is very much entranced in an “indie” style, but even so, his style is what makes this issue stand-out. It’s a style that is definitely “rougher” throughout, but it only adds a uniqueness to the story being told and makes for some compelling visual storytelling. Read Full Review

Every thing in the black hammer title/universe/whatever has been (for the most part) pretty fucking awesome. But this, this was kind of dumb. A world war 2 story with some unexplained... twists? I don't know, this was not a very good debut.